I'm getting into my first round of applications for a PhD in English, with a focus on Victorian Lit and Postcolonial Theory.
Vanderbilt Brown UNC Chapel Hill Harvard Berkeley or Stanford (but probably not both) and Cornell, pending further research.
I'm also stipulating that the school have some sort of Slavic Studies department, which hasn't been as restrictive of a factor as I thought it might be.
Emphatically seconded. Nancy Armstrong would be a great person to look into--she does Victorian lit and empire, and Duke has really a top notch poco faculty.
oops. I combined two comments, posted them below, and deleted the original two.
I'm hoping that our Duke girls will come out of hiding to persuade you, but I seriously can't think of a more perfect program for your interests. It's a fantastic program overall (though in recent years, increasingly difficult to get into)...and the location is much nicer than a stereotypical image of North Carolina might suggest.
I'm curious who you might be targeting at Brown? I'm reasonably familiar with the program (I can refer you to those who'd know a LOT more than me), and from what I recall, the victorian era isn't strong for Brown right now. Also...Duke MUST be on your list. They stole Brown's two prominent Victorianists...and I can't think of a better place to do poco right now.
And what about Indiana? This is far from my speciality, but I'm under the impression that they're traditionally a strong Victorianist program.
My research into faculty is still in really early stages, so I essentially have zero names-- just the knowledge that two months ago I checked faculty interests at most of the schools to make sure there was going to be some representation of my interests. My next step is a.) ask people like you who know what is up and b.) research journal articles, contact people etc.
Duke has been on and off of my list for months. Your strong recommendation (and the fact that they got two of Brown's Vic people, which I remember you writing before on a previous post) says a lot for it. I think my most recent misgiving about Duke was the fact that they didn't have a Slavic Studies department, but that's really neither here nor there. I'm not planning on participating in a Slavic program, but my latest/biggest project would definitely benefit from some expertise in the regional history and culture. Having it *at* the school would be nice, but not entirely crucial.
One of the great things about Duke (and about UNC) is that you can also very easily take classes at UNC or at NC State. All three schools are in a consortium, there's a shuttle that goes between Duke and UNC often, and a lot of students take advantage of that opportunity. Does UNC have a Slavic Studies department?
Also, I know nothing about what they offer in terms of PoCo theory, but Rutgers is a strong Victorianist department as well. Check out the University of Michigan, too--a couple interesting, relatively recent Victorianist hires.
Good point. And to add another perspective, I recall several Duke students who were talking courses at UNC during the semester that I visited campus.
Another possibility to keep in mind in general: many of the top programs belong to one (or more) of several consortiums. I believe all the Ivys, Berkeley, Stanford, Chicago, and Duke (do check this) are linked in such a way that you can spend a semester (or even a full year) at any of these participating universities. Of course, in practicality, you need to figure out TAships, funding, etc...but it's quite manageable and might give you the opportunity to pick up classes there.
I'm a first year Victorianist at IU, so I might be able to answer some questions about the program or faculty if you have any. And don't shoot the messenger, but I know IU's entering class is going to be extremely small this year because my cohort is enormous (35 people). I think I heard as few as 10 offers might be made vs. ~40 last year.
holy cow...IU must have put up quite the recruitment weekend, to pick up 35 out of 40-some admittees.
The word on the street (nothing official yet) is that many programs will be cutting back on the number of students that they admit, largely due to budgetary issues. I know that several programs experienced a higher yield than expected, and I'd imagine that they (like your program) would try to redress that by lowering the number of offers this year...even aside from the problems generated by that pesky economy.
Speaking of IU, how are things going for you? (though I'll understand if you'd prefer to not discuss it here) :)
No recruitment weekend for me! My choices were based on professor recommendations and personal random research. I *wish* I had the luxury of visiting recruitment weekends.
If you're admitted, chances are, you'd be able to go. Most PhD applicants visit the schools only when they have an offer. In most cases, the program will cover part (or even all) of the cost of that visit.
I think most of the schools I'm applying to are expected to make 8-15 offers. I'm excited about my IU application, though! My experience with Indiana is nil, although my mom has some great stories about visiting her in-laws back there in the 70s. Still, the Victorian Studies program is just too awesome to not throw my hat in that ring. I feel pretty good about my research interests right now too, you know? Sometimes there are those ugly academic duckling jitters, the "Oh my god, it's so puerile/boring/random" twinges, but right now I feel like there will be at least one person at one school who thinks I have potential.
I'm holding onto that optimism right now.
I thought about messaging you when I was writing my SoP, to get a better feeling of the faculty and the program, but I got a little behind on my research. Nevertheless, if I get any offers from them I'll be sure to drop you a line.
It's a little peripheral, and mainly related to Victorian literature, but here goes: I want to contextualize the study of classic colonial subjects, such as China, India and Egypt, by examining how other regions and ethnic groups around the world played a part in the history and literature of the British Empire. A lot of the regions I'm interested in (like the Balkans) were never colonized by the English, but they still occupy a parallel place in Victorian literature and academia. It's a little undefined, but I find it really fascinating :)
Vanderbilt
Brown
UNC Chapel Hill
Harvard
Berkeley or Stanford (but probably not both)
and Cornell, pending further research.
I'm also stipulating that the school have some sort of Slavic Studies department, which hasn't been as restrictive of a factor as I thought it might be.
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(The comment has been removed)
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I'm hoping that our Duke girls will come out of hiding to persuade you, but I seriously can't think of a more perfect program for your interests. It's a fantastic program overall (though in recent years, increasingly difficult to get into)...and the location is much nicer than a stereotypical image of North Carolina might suggest.
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And what about Indiana? This is far from my speciality, but I'm under the impression that they're traditionally a strong Victorianist program.
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Duke has been on and off of my list for months. Your strong recommendation (and the fact that they got two of Brown's Vic people, which I remember you writing before on a previous post) says a lot for it. I think my most recent misgiving about Duke was the fact that they didn't have a Slavic Studies department, but that's really neither here nor there. I'm not planning on participating in a Slavic program, but my latest/biggest project would definitely benefit from some expertise in the regional history and culture. Having it *at* the school would be nice, but not entirely crucial.
I'll be reconsidering Duke :)
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Also, I know nothing about what they offer in terms of PoCo theory, but Rutgers is a strong Victorianist department as well. Check out the University of Michigan, too--a couple interesting, relatively recent Victorianist hires.
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Another possibility to keep in mind in general: many of the top programs belong to one (or more) of several consortiums. I believe all the Ivys, Berkeley, Stanford, Chicago, and Duke (do check this) are linked in such a way that you can spend a semester (or even a full year) at any of these participating universities. Of course, in practicality, you need to figure out TAships, funding, etc...but it's quite manageable and might give you the opportunity to pick up classes there.
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I'm applying for Victorian lit and feminist theory:
Duke
Illinois
Indiana
Princeton
UC-Davis
Yale
and possibly Columbia, Berkeley, and Wash U (does anyone have additional information on their dual program in comparative lit?)
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The word on the street (nothing official yet) is that many programs will be cutting back on the number of students that they admit, largely due to budgetary issues. I know that several programs experienced a higher yield than expected, and I'd imagine that they (like your program) would try to redress that by lowering the number of offers this year...even aside from the problems generated by that pesky economy.
Speaking of IU, how are things going for you? (though I'll understand if you'd prefer to not discuss it here) :)
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I'm holding onto that optimism right now.
I thought about messaging you when I was writing my SoP, to get a better feeling of the faculty and the program, but I got a little behind on my research. Nevertheless, if I get any offers from them I'll be sure to drop you a line.
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